Separating beauties from beasts

OPI SoftShades 2016 Collection Swatches

With Easter just a bunny hop, skip, and a jump away, it’s only fitting to share OPI SoftShades 2016 Collection swatches!

Start dreaming up fun spring manicures and pedicures because the OPI SoftShades 2016 Collection officially launches in April, according to the press release I posted earlier this month. (For the colour story, click that link to get all the juicy details.)

As the name would suggest, the colours are pastel, and I found that they were heavily white-based. However, they still had just enough saturation to keep them from looking washed out.

A lot of lighter shades like these tend to require three coats to reach full opacity, and these were no exception.

The formula on all of them were consistent in that they were smooth and easy to apply. The first coat was streaky, but the coverage builds up effortlessly with the second and third coat.

Based on my quick swatches, my favourites are the green (This Cost Me a Mint) and yellow (One Chic Chick). However, I’ll wait to reserve final judgement when I wear them as full manicures. (Later, I’ll do at least one in-depth review on here with multiple photos of a single shade, as per usual.)

A special mention needs to be given to It’s in the Clouds because I was expecting a stark white, but it’s a bit softer…hehe, like a cloud. 😉 Usually I’m not crazy about white nail polish, but I liked the way this one looked. I think it’s because it’s ever-so-slightly off-white, yet it still looks clean and fresh.

Overall, my first impression is that these colours are a nice change of pace from OPI’s SoftShades collections from previous years. Instead of sheers, we have cremes that can be built up for full coverage, which is what I prefer. Also, all the colours make me think of cute Easter eggs!

Edit (March 25, 2016): Scroll to the bottom of this post to see comparison swatches of OPI It’s a Boy! and OPI What’s with the Cattitude?. It was requested by Jessica, one of my awesome readers.

Pick a favorite? Just one? Can’t I pick… ehm… six favorites? 😉
If I were to add just one other color, it would probably be a baby pink (assuming Stop I’m Blushing is more peach colored). On second thought, scratch the pink, I would go for a very soft dove grey 🙂Joyce recently posted: St. Patrick’s Day 2016

Stop I’m Blushing! – Hard to describe this muted colour because on me, sometimes it looks peach and other times slightly pink. I can see this one as being the type of polish that would look a little different on everyone, based on your skin tone and what clothes you’re wearing.

A dove grey would coordinate well with the colours in this collection. Great suggestion!

Oh, I remember the textured polish (What Wizardry Is This?) in that 2013 collection. I still love it, and it was an unusual addition to a SoftShades collection! I never fell out of love with textured polishes, even if it’s no longer trendy.)

Agreed – Stop I’m Blushing! is very classy. It also seems like the kind of colour that would look differently on everyone, depending on what apparel you’re wearing and what your skin tone is. On myself, it sometimes looked peachy, but other times pink!